Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jun 7th Test

Jun 4th No Such Thing As Luck … by Amanda Olive

Today’s Reading – Esther 6 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13, Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Read the “0604 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

When I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, like so many, everything in my life changed. I looked back at my life before and could see God’s hand in every little thing and every big thing. I realized that luck or chance wasn’t a thing. Reading these verses, I can’t help but think God put the book of Esther in the Bible to remind us that God is in total control of everything. There is no such thing as luck. Esther wasn’t lucky to be queen; God made her to be queen for His purpose. Mordecai wasn’t lucky to have overheard the assassination plot; God put him in that spot at that moment for His purpose. It wasn’t luck or by chance that put Haman in the courts at that moment, God knew what He was doing. It wasn’t luck that dropped Esther to her knees to plead for her people, God used her greatly for His purpose. And it was definitely not luck that saved God’s chosen people. God exalted the Jews and Mordeceai, not by luck, but for His good. God knew exactly what he was doing.

As Christians, we must always know that we are not lucky; God is in control. God most definitely sees what is going on in this world right now. His people must stand firm; we need not to worry or be anxious. Pray for God to show you how you can be an Esther or Mordecai in these times. Go to scripture and be reminded that God is in control.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” ​(Isaiah 41:10)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” ​(Psalm 46:1)

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
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“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall i fear? the Lord is the strength of my life;of whom shall i be afraid?” ​(Psalm 27:1)

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:17)

We as Christians are blessed to know the end of the story. God wants us to be brave like Esther and Mordecai. Step in faith and get the gospel to all the lost that dont know that God is in control. There is no such thing as luck.

Apr 21st Like Father, Like Son … by Phil Erickson, Jr.

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

Read the “0421 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:” (1 Kings 12:6-8)

Most of the sermons, devotions, and Sunday school lessons I’ve listened to or read about Rehoboam have dealt with the issue of his pride, that he was an all around bad guy, and that during his reign“…Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.” (1Kings 14:22).  And, that’s all true. We need to heed the warnings of those messages. However, every time that I come across this passage, my first thought is, “What happened?”. How did we go from Pop-pop David, a man after God’s own heart, to wicked, prideful, rug-rat Rehoboam? How did an entire nation go from loving and serving God, to doing more evil than ever before? It’s a sobering thought, and it scares me. It scares me to think that in a few generations, you can go from one end of the spectrum to the other. 

Rehoboam made all of his own choices. He chose to live and lead the way he did. But I think all of this might have started with his father, Solomon. When I read this story, I think of Solomon. Again, Rehoboam made his own choices, but he learned how to live, and how to lead, from his dad. Which is what scares me. God has given me a great responsibility as a parent. My kids will learn how to live, how to love, and how to lead – from me. Solomon started well. He loved God, feared God, and was humble. But that changed. 

Here’s a few things I think we can learn from the story of Solomon and Rehoboam:

1 – Stay Focused. 

God has given all of us a purpose. It’s different for all of us. Solomon’s purpose was to lead the people as a king. He was to seek God’s wisdom in leading and guiding the kingdom. As a father, he was to lead his family. He was to love them, and teach them how to love, and to one day lead. But Solomon got off track. He became enamored with doing everything person could possibly do. In Ecclesiastes, he tells how he experienced all the things that anyone could possibly imagine would bring pleasure. I’m sure not all of the things he experienced were bad things. But while he was doing those things, he was not focused on being a king or a father. His focus became pleasure. His focus became getting all the things, and doing all the things that made him happy…and guess who was watching? Rehoboam. Do those following you know that you care about your purpose? Because if you don’t, why should they? Stay focused.

2 – Stay Humble.

When Solomon first became king, God let him choose anything he wanted. All he had to do was ask. Solomon knew that he needed God more than anything if he would be effective as a king, so he asked God for wisdom. He was humble. He leaned on God for everything. But somewhere along the way, Solomon aloud himself to think that he was ok on his own, and started doing whatever he thought was right. One of my saddest memories from growing up was a phrase that my dad would say to me often. Its makes me sad, because at the time, I hated hearing it, but now I know he was right. Every stinkin’ time. He would say, “Do what you want to do Phil, ‘cuz that’s what you’re gonna do anyway.” Now that I’m a dad, and I see the other side of it, I get a sick feeling in my gut when I think about how my pride so often caused my mom and dad to grieve. They knew what was best for me, but I thought I was right, so I did my own thing. Somewhere along the line, this is how Solomon started acting with God. And guess who was watching? Rehoboam. Stay humble.

I started out by saying that this passage scares me. It does. It scares me to think that my choices, my actions, and my pride can have such a huge impact on those following me. I am so thankful that God gave me parents who were focused and humble. Perfect? Not even close! 🙂 But real. I pray everyday for God to give me wisdom. I want my kids and those following me to see someone with a genuine love for God, someone who is focused on what God has given them, and someone who is humble. And I’ll pray for you too. We need the next generation to go farther for God than we can imagine. But they’re watching us.

Mar 25th Built Through the Process … by Paul Meyer

Today’s Passage – Judges 14 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 2 John, 3 John, Jude; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 55:17

Read the “0325 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Note – this post is from yesterday’s reading.

Judges is a book encapsulated in diversity, each Judge was profoundly different than his predecessor. While the formula for Israel’s habitual fall remained consistent, the method of their salvation was always changing. In Judges 11 we are introduced to a man with no social pedigree, despised by his brethren, but used tremendously for the glory of God. Jephthah was the son of a Gileadite and a harlot. In Judges 11:2 she is said to be a “strange woman” perhaps making her a Canaanite. Due to his second-class sonship his brothers drove him from his inheritance. Look in verse 4: “And it came to pass.” Jephthah, like us, was living in a world of uncertainty.

The time spent in your father’s house, your brothers’ disdain for you, spreading sickness, depressed markets, cancelled events, curfews – it all comes to pass. “In process of time” – the will and way of God is not always expedient, certainly in the life of Jephthah these trials did not quickly pass, but the process is what made him who he was. Likewise, our circumstances may not change immediately, but we are built through the process.

As we read through the rest of the passage we see a discourse between Jephthah and the King of Ammon. Jephthah relays to the king the history of Israel and Ammon as recorded in scripture. Perhaps his trial in life helped forge his relationship with scripture. Had it not been for the trial in Jephthah’s life perhaps the Spirit of the Lord would not have come upon him in verse 29. Had it not been for Jephthah’s trial perhaps Israel would have not been delivered. If it had not been for the Church’s trial in our day perhaps our nation will not be delivered. Romans 5:3 says “…but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope…” Our hope is in Jesus Christ, I pray that in this tribulation our hope in Him will be built through this process. 

Jan 12th Following the Will of God

Today’s Passages – Genesis 31 – 32 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 23 – 24; Proverbs 12; Psalms 56 – 60)

Read the “0112 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “No More Jacob.“

“And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. … Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.” (Genesis 31:3, 17-18)

Jacob had lived in the land of Padanaram for twenty years, after fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau (see Genesis 27:41). During that time, he married two wives and had twelve children, eleven of whom were sons and one daughter, Dinah. His twelfth son, Benjamin, would be born later (see Genesis 35:16 – 18). He also accumulated much wealth during his time there due to an arrangement with his father-in-law, Laban, which allowed him to keep certain of the cattle that were born as part of his wages. God had blessed both Jacob and his father-in-law mightily during his time in Padanaram, but it was time for Jacob to move on and follow the will of God for his family.

As we read this story in chapters 31 – 33, we learn that following the will of God isn’t going to be easy for Jacob or his family. First of all, he is taking his wives and children away from the only life that they knew. All of their extended family and friends were going to be left behind. It is never easy to leave the people you love, even if you are doing exactly what God wants you to do.

Secondly, Jacob would also have problems with his former boss and father-in-law, Laban. Laban and his sons had been blessed mightily as a result of God’s hand being upon Jacob. And, even though God had perhaps given Jacob more than Laban received, Laban was still far better off after twenty years of Jacob’s service than he was before Jacob arrived. Laban knew that Jacob was the reason that God was blessing him the way He was, and Laban didn’t want to lose those blessings. Sometimes people, even well-meaning people who love you, will try to prevent you from doing what God wants you to do because they are afraid that their lives will be worsened by your departure. The truth, however, is that if Jacob had disobeyed the Lord and stayed with Laban in Padanaram, the blessings of God would have ceased for all of them.

A third consideration in following the will of God is the uncertainty of what lies ahead. God does not often paint a vivid, detailed picture of all of the things that will happen in the future as we follow his will for our lives. Jacob was certainly concerned about what would happen to him when he arrived back in Canaan. There was that little matter that needed to be settled with his brother Esau who had threatened to kill him twenty years earlier. I am sure that Jacob was imagining the worse-case scenarios regarding his reunion with his brother. However, even though Jacob was very apprehensive to go back, he trusted that his God was going to be with him as he went, and he was right. When Jacob finally meets up with Esau, all is well. It can be a little scary following God into the unknown, but we must trust that God wants the absolute best for us and our families.

It would have been very easy for Jacob to resist the will of God and stay in his comfort zone, but he did the scary thing. He followed God into the unknown. But, God blessed both him and his family mightily. Don’t be afraid to trust God; or better, don’t let your fears keep you from following God’s will.

Jan 9th Water is Life by Samantha Mears

Today’s Passage – Genesis 25 – 26 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 47:1

Read the “0109 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “ “From A Father To A Son”

“For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Genesis 26:15-22)

When we read this passage we see the struggle that Issac went through. Issac wasn’t struggling because of any wrong he had done; he was very blessed of the Lord and it made the Philistines jealous, so much so they attacked in a major way. They stopped up the wells that Abraham had dug while he was alive. It’s easy to see why this was such a serious offense – water is life. For the next few verses we see Issac striving to renew these wells by removing the “earth” to get to the water once again. I would like to take a moment and share just how important this passage is, or should be to Christians today, and how the Lord spoke to me. Abraham dug these wells, and with his passing the wells were filled with earth. Our spiritual fathers dug wells of living water and laid a foundation of “Christianity” for us to draw from. When I say “us” I am speaking to my generation. A generation that I believe has become very apathetic to the idea of drawing from the wells. The wells of truth have become so full of “earth” (aka worldliness) and we are ok with that. If Isaac decided to sit back and leave the wells filled with earth, instead of digging them again, people would have died. Because, water is life. 

What has filled our wells? 

Worldliness – fitting in with everyone else around us. 

Apathy – a numbness to the real facts, that people are dying and going to Hell.

Bitterness – towards former preachers or parents who weren’t perfect and messed up.

Contentment – to just live a mediocre Christian life. 

If we continue to allow the wells to fill up with this “earth” people are going to die. The living water of Christ is not flowing and people are dying and going to hell. Because, water is life. 

So what can we do? We can take back the wells; we can dig again the wells which our fathers dug. It won’t be easy, it wasn’t easy for Isaac (Genesis 26:20-21) but we can do it, just as he did. It’s going to take faith, hard work, sacrifice, determination and so, so much more. If we don’t do something now, it will be too late. The next generation will have no well to draw from, no water to drink, and they will die. It’s time we wake up and take back the wells. Because, water is life. 

Jan 6th God Knows You

Today’s Passage – Genesis 17 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25

Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage –“Don’t Look Back,” “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too,”and “The Prayer of a Friend”

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” (Genesis 18:19)

The big story from our passage today involves the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, apparently along with other “cities of the plain” (Genesis 19:28 – 29; Deuteronomy 29:23). Before the Lord destroys those cities, however, He visits with Abraham and lets him know about His plans. In chapter eighteen, He appears in bodily form with two other “men.” Bible students have long debated as to who or what these men were who arrived with the Lord and then leave the Lord alone with Abraham (Genesis 18:22), but it is logical to conclude that they are the same angels who show up, again in bodily form in Sodom in chapter nineteen.

The verse that drew my attention for this post is Genesis 18:17 – 19 where the Lord discusses with the angels his plan to reveal to Abraham ahead of time what he plans to do with Sodom and Gomorrah. He tells the angels that He “knows” Abraham, and then He reveals specifically that He knows what Abraham will do and be, not just who he was previously. God is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 21:6; 22:13). He knows everything about us past, present, and future. He not only knows our past, He knows our potential. We tend to only see ourselves in our present and past state, but God sees who we can be in the future.

Notice also that God made a covenant (Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17) with Abraham based upon what He knew about him (foreknowledge). The last statement in verse nineteen states: “that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” There is a lot to think about from this verse, but the practical point I am trying to make is this: If God calls you to do something, it is because He knows what you will be as well as what you can do. You only know about what you have already done, but God knows what you can and will do. I made a decision a long time ago that If I was asked to do something that I believed was the will of God – even something seemingly impossible for me – I would step out in faith to do it. Your “I can’t do that” thoughts are based upon what you have already done, not based upon what God knows you can do. More importantly, God knows what He wants to do and can do through you. I am not saying that you can do anything that you want to do, but you can and should do anything that God wants you to do. God said to Abraham and Sarah in this same chapter, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14a) The answer is no. God can do in and through you whatever He wills. You just need to say yes to His will.

Jan 5th Good Friends Are Hard to Come By

Today’s Passages – Genesis 13 – 16 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25)

Read the “0105 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s passage – “Balanced and Biblical Separation;” “Relationships are More Important than Riches;” “Gardens and Green Grass or God’s Will?”

“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” (Genesis 14:14)

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Abraham demonstrated that he was a good friend to a man who in the past was not so friendly to Abraham. Back in Genesis 13:8 – 11 , Abraham’s nephew Lot decided that he no longer wanted to live in the same place that Abraham dwelt in. He said that there just wasn’t enough grazing grass for the both of them and their large herds. He wanted to move away from the man that had taken him in and took care of him after his dad died (See Genesis 11:27 – 28). Abraham was very gracious to Lot and allowed him to make the first choice about where he wanted to be, and Abraham agreed to settle away from whatever area that Lot chose. Lot’s choice was the “well watered” plain of the Jordan Valley.

Time moves on as it always does, and Lot eventually ends up living near and then inside of the very wicked city of Sodom. When Sodom and four other cities are conquered and taken captive by a confederation of four kings, Lot and his family are taken into captivity with them. Abraham could have forgotten about Lot and left him in the hands of the Canaanites, but Abraham was a good friend to Lot, and came to his rescue. A good friend will help even when the person they are helping has not been very friendly. Abraham will later come to Lot’s rescue again by interceding for him to God (see Genesis 18:23 – 33) when God was about to destroy cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, including all the people living in them. God spares Lot and some of his family by removing them from the city before the destruction came (See Genesis 19).

Uncle Abraham was not a “fair weather friend” to Lot. He made a choice to be a friend to him, and he continued acting as his friend even when his kindness was not being reciprocated. People may not always be friendly, kind, and loving to us; but we can choose to be a friend to them regardless. Christ acted as our friend by dying for us when we were not deserving, and He still is our friend today. Let’s take the spiritual high road in our friendships. Let’s choose to be good to people, to be friendly towards them, even when they are not being very kind to us.

One more thought. While we should always choose to be friendly to all people, we should also be careful who we allow to be good friends to us. If we let the wrong people get close to us and influence us, it could pull us out of the will of God. Remember, “Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab” (2 Samuel 13:3), but Jonadab wasn’t a very good friend. Amnon should have been a little wiser in who he chose for his friend, it would have saved him a lot of heartache, and in the long run it would have saved his life.